Beneath the Surface
by Amelia Glitter
Summary: In the near future, human beings have left the land to settle the last unexplored region on Earth, the ocean. The seaQuest DSV is the world's most advanced submarine and charged with keeping peace in the depths. Her crew must work through their own personal challenges while fighting pirates and ecological disasters deep in the oceans. [eventual yaoi] [science!] [fusion]
1. Prologue

**Warnings: **Mature themes (such as illegal activities, ecological and biological disasters, war, the darker side of science, etc.), same-sex relationships, cursing. Some characters may appear out-of-character.

**Amelia's Note/Disclaimer:** The premise for this work of fanfiction is based on the television show seaQuest DSV. The story will not exactly follow the show, but will contain many of the same themes and ideas. Also, this is science fiction. Therefore, some of the science will be fictional. I try to stick to plausible theories as best I can, but by the nature of the beast, some of it is just going to be flat out made up. This applies to the naval information too.

* * *

The year is 2022. Breakthroughs in science and technology have allowed humans to colonize the last unexplored region of Earth, the ocean. With the resources of land depleted, and the oceans still rich, the nations of the world soon begin to fight over claims for oil, minerals, and aquaculture rights. Nations joined together to form alliances called coalitions, to protect their claims. Smaller countries joined with larger naval powers to be able to compete. Landlocked countries joined with coastal ones. The politics of the world were turned upside down. The United Nations became ineffective and outdated, though limped on in an attempt to continue governing. NATO was disbanded entirely.

Amid the official chaos, ordinary people continued to flock to the seas, trying to escape the overcrowding on land. Religious extremists, private scientists, and independent colonies joined the rush to stake their own claims. Many of these colonies were underfunded and unprepared, their accidents and emergencies only adding to the general disorder. The fighting continued to escalate, thousands of lives and millions of dollars are lost as battle after battle is fought to control the oceans. After four years, war is declared by many nations.

At the behest of those warring nations, scientists begin to experiment with genetic engineering to create super human soldiers. Their goal is create soldiers specifically designed for underwater war. They kidnapped orphans from the streets of the world's cities, modifying the children's' DNA to make them stronger and faster, requiring less oxygen and sustenance. In some instances, the children were even modified with gills, scales, and webbed hands and feet, all to make them more capable of waging war underwater. The children were brainwashed and sent into battle as devoted soldiers.

As the science developed, the researchers move from modifying existing life forms to creating life forms. These Genetically Engineered Life Forms-or GELFs-replaced the children in battle. The GELFs were superior in many ways, the weaknesses of the human shell removed. GELFs were stronger, faster, more agile, and able to withstand extreme pressure and temperatures. Best of all, the GELFs were not human, their rights not recognized under any laws. They were not subject to the Geneva Conventions treaties or protocols. The GELFs were basically slaves.

It wasn't until 2036 when the world got a wake-up call. A colony off the coast of California, which housed a Catholic orphanage, was invaded by soldiers seeking sanctuary. Ignoring humanitarian pleas, enemy soldiers attacked the colony and destroyed it. Seventy-three orphans and their caretakers died in what became known as the Maxwell Colony Massacre. The world reeled in horror at what was done. Finally, after ten years of death, the world had reached its breaking point.

The three main powers of the oceans, the North American Coalition (consisting of the U.S. and Canada), the North Sea Coalition (United Kingdom and much of Europe), and the Soviet Coalition (Russia and many former Soviet countries) began to discuss peace. They envisioned an international governing body, similar to the defunct United Nations, but charged with keeping peace within the oceans. The United Earth Oceans Organization would be the enforcer of treaties between coalitions, the peacekeepers of the depths, as well as responding to humanitarian and ecological disasters. Within five years, the Charter was drawn up and many coalitions became member nations. While not every power in the seas was a signatory of the UEO, the vast majority were.

To be able to police the oceans, the UEO needed ships. Most importantly, they needed a flagship. From buried and forgotten archives came the design of a great submarine, half military, and half research vessel. The seaQuest Deep Submergence Vehicle's blueprints were dusted off, funds raised, and her designer tempted off his private island to oversee the building. The project was rushed from the start. With the oceans teetering on the edge of total anarchy, the UEO could not afford setbacks. In less than a year, the seaQuest DSV was scheduled to sail for its maiden voyage. The last hope for a lasting peace, the seaQuest, with her captain and crew, are all that stand to stop the world plunging back into total war.

For beneath the surface, lies the future.

* * *

_To Be Continued…_


	2. Anchors Aweigh!

United Earth Oceans Organization Captain Treize Khushrenada surveyed the schematics of the world's most advanced submersible on the screen in his ward room. No one could deny the seaQuest was an impressive beast. From outside, she looked like the mantle of a giant squid. She was over three hundred meters long, stem to stern, with a crew of eighty-eight military and one hundred twenty-four science personnel. Her top speed was rated at one hundred sixty knots, crush depth of nine kilometers; the fastest, deepest diving submersible ever made. Part of her amazing tolerance was due to a state-of-the-art, genetically engineered, bio-skin that was not only completely inert to most marine bacteria and organisms, but could also regenerate itself in the event of a hull breach. Her fuel usage and life-support-including waste recycling, hydroponic food growth, and desalination of water-were efficient enough to support the entire crew for several months. The seaQuest could, quite literally, sit at the bottom of the ocean for nearly half a year without any harm to crew or ship.

Equally impressive were her military and scientific capabilities. She was armed with advanced probes, Wireless Sea Knowledge Retrieval Satellites (WSKRS), which could provide real-time information as they travelled forward, port, and starboard to the ship. They were applicable for use in both military and scientific situations, constantly collecting data. Armed with traditional torpedoes, intercepts, and sea-to-air missiles, she was formable; added to that was a complement of more advanced undersea lasers and grapnel torpedoes. She was even fitted with aquatubes within the ship to carry a navy-trained dolphin. She was also fully equipped with labs for chemistry, marine biology, oceanography, environmental toxicology, aquaculture and more; occupying the midsection on three decks. A full team of scientists would be on board, conducting research and running a variety of experiments.

A posting on the UEO flagship was the most coveted amongst the navies of the coalitions; equally desirous amongst the scientists of the world. The job of the captain was an honor beyond words. Treize wanted none of it.

"One tour," he muttered, "then I'm retiring to my chateau and vineyards."

"Sounds boring, sir."

Treize turned away from the screen to face his company. Commander Zechs Merquise stood in the ward room hatch, leaning casually against the bulkhead. As usual, his uniform was pristine and his long hair tied back. His appearance said strictly military, but Treize had known him for years and knew it was an image he portrayed. Merquise played at being military, but was far too liberal in his politics to be considered truly as such.

"I prefer the term, 'relaxing', sailor."

Merquise feigned surprise. "Are you saying that shoving off in a half-completed submersible, with an untested crew, to chase after a fleet of pirates isn't relaxing? I find it very much so. Our sailing orders have changed, sir. We are to shove off as soon as the crew is on board and preliminary diagnostics ran."

Treize scowled. "I won't have time to meet my officers."

"That's why I'm here, sir. To brief you on your officers' personnel files in lieu of a formal meeting. I've been here with most of them all week and have been able to speak with them informally. Your first officer is tried and true; a paramount of naval efficiency. Handsome, too." Merquise grinned.

"My first officer will get himself demoted to swabbing the decks if he doesn't get on with it."

"We've got a dagger for that already."

"What?"

"I'll get to that in a bit." Merquise sat down with a flourish and pulled out a touchpad, linking it into the ward room's large viewscreen. He dismissed the schematics with a swipe of his finger and pulled up a personnel file with a few more taps. The screen showed a woman with a very serious expression, short black hair, and a military bearing. Treize recognized her.

"You're ex-wife?"

Merquise winced. "Yes sir. Lieutenant Commander Lucrezia Noin specializes in navigation and weapons. She's by-the-book, sir. She can probably quote half a dozen different naval codes from around the world, as well as the UEO charter. We will never be without knowledge of proper procedure and policy. Strict. Professional."

"Your opposite."

"Well, yes sir. They do say opposites attract, then bitterly divorce three years later."

"Will it be a problem, Commander?" Treize narrowed his eyes at his first officer. Merquise was occasionally flippant, frequently sarcastic, but was extremely good at his job. There was no one else Treize would want to serve as his XO, but personal issues could not interfere.

"No, Captain. I can stay professional, and she would rather die than allow any relationship to stand in the way of her career." He swiped the touchpad, switching to a different file. "Moving on, Lieutenant Commander Howard Kalani, chief of engineering. He designed this tub, you know, stem to stern. Kalani's Calamity, it was called for years, until the UEO decided to actually build it. I was expecting old school navy, sir, not…" Merquise trailed off and shrugged helplessly.

"Not? Not what, Commander?"

"He looks like the UEO dragged him away from Margaritaville, sir. I've been running interference between him and Commander Noin this past two weeks, sir. I can't imagine the commotion if the Commander saw him in his khaki shorts, Hawaiian shirts, and rope sandals. I've ordered him into uniform, but he-ah-seems to ignore me. I'm reluctant to discipline the guy that built our ship."

"I'll take care of it, Merquise. I've been in communiqué with the lieutenant for a few weeks now. I believe he'll listen to me."

The first officer nodded contently and swiped over to another file. The picture showed a young man, probably of Japanese ancestry, glaring at the camera. "Chief of Security is a recent Academy graduate. Lieutenant Heero Yuy graduated top of his class. The guy is quiet, stoic. Nothing seems to ruffle him. There is a classified section of his file, sir. Per orders, I have not viewed it, yet."

"Open it up, Commander."

The screen filled with biometric data. Identifying the lieutenant as a genetically modified human. His modifications included superior strength, speed, and agility. His intelligence quotient was also much higher than average. A psychological evaluation was included, clearing him for active duty. According to the file, no remnants of brainwashing remained. The captain and his XO exchanged looks, but neither commented.

Merquise cleared his throat and moved onto the next file. "Chief Computer Analyst, Ensign Alisa Sokoloff. Soviet Coalition, but not part of their navy. She's got a reputation for being arrogant and unyielding. She knows her way around a mainframe, though; the computers stopped glitching a week ago." The woman in the picture was older than Treize, with a beak-like nose and strong jaw line. No-nonsense and overbearing were two words that came to mind.

"Communications officer, Ensign Quatre Raberba Winner." The young blonde man was actually smiling in his ID photo. "And before you ask, yes, Winner as in Winner Enterprises Coalition, one of the chief funders of this ship. He's not here by connections, though, he's an Academy graduate and well-qualified: fluent in seven languages, passable in four more. I haven't personally met him, but Lieutenant Yuy was aware of him in the Academy. Said he had a reputation for diplomacy and settling disputes amongst his peers, as well as a rumored psy-factor for Empathy."

Another flick and another personnel file appeared. This one showed an arrogant-looking Chinese man. "Sensors officer, Ensign Wufei Chang. On loan from the People's Coalition of China. Seems to be well-versed in the UEO, though, considering his coalition was one the last signatories of the charter. So far, the only thing I really know about him is that he had a rather heated debate with the Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Sally Po, regarding justice and honor. It wasn't so heated that I was called to deal with it, but heated enough to be the scuttlebutt for a few days."

Treize considered the implications. Having an officer that was a member of the People's Coalition of China was a potential problem. That particular coalition was not well-known for its humanitarian or environmental efforts in the oceans. Hopefully, Ensign Chang did not share his government's ideals-or lack thereof.

"Where is he from?"

Merquise blinked. "From, sir?" The commander consulted the file. "Umm, the Shenlong Colony. Located in the East China Sea. Info says they splintered from the main Coalition, but still keep ties for protection."

Treize nodded in satisfaction. He was likely from one of the traditional clans that left the land for undersea colonies to avoid their own government. That was good. He probably had his own strict moral codes, hence the heated debate with the doctor. He waved at Merquise to move along in the files.

"Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Sally Po. Multiple degrees in medicine, biology, and biochemistry. Scary smart. Very vocal on her opinions of environmental policies." Merquise grinned up at the picture of a stern-looking, part Asian woman with braids. "I like her. She's not afraid of the military personnel, as evidenced by her shouting down a few of the security guys for 'unnecessary risks' when they were running some drills."

"Doctor Catherine Bloom rounds out the officers. She's head of the science personnel and holds degrees in oceanography and marine mammal sciences. She's officially my favorite scientist, sir. Extremely sweet and caring. Kinda like the sister I'd rather have." The red head on the screen smiled broadly in her picture.

Treize laughed at Merquise's sister comment. He avoided the commander's politician half-sister whenever he could, and he had a feeling Merquise did the same. "Is that everyone?"

"Not quite, sir. That's all the officers, but we've got a few others I need to brief you on. I mentioned the dagger swabbing the decks earlier, sir. I wasn't joking."

"'Dagger' is a nasty word, Commander, the correct term is 'GELF'." Treize rebuked his officer mildly.

"Apologies, sir. The GELF is the Prototype Model K. Some of the engineering crews have been calling it 'Nanashi' as a bit of a joke, sir. It isn't very smart, but was assigned to us on a trial basis as maintenance personnel. Apparently, he's one of the first GELF to grow to maturity. However, its DNA was a bit off. It isn't the finished product like they have locked up on Alcatraz. The UEO wants to determine if this prototype, and others like it, could be used as simple labor on ships. We're the beta testers, sir."

"No picture?"

Merquise gave him an incredulous look. "It looks like all GELFs."

"Male or female?"

"It's a GELF, sir, they don't reproduce. They don't have a gender identity."

Treize sighed and waved at his officer to continue. He wasn't going to debate the humanity of GELFs at this juncture. Perhaps, the presence of this GELF would open the minds of some of his crew, especially his first officer.

"Ensign Darwin, sir. The dolphin."

Treize chuckled. "I'm aware of him. Kalani told me quite a bit. Go on. You've been tensing up more and more as we've gotten closer to that final file. This one must be a doozy, Merquise. Saving the best for last?"

"Or the worst, sir. The UEO decided seaQuest should participate in the International Criminal Reformation Program. The goal is to reform non-violent criminals into functioning, useful, citizens. The discipline and isolation of a submersible is considered an ideal environment. Our parolee is Duo Maxwell, who just served five years for cyber crimes. Including, but not limited to, electronic vandalism, fraud, espionage, and illegal funds transfer. I've already briefed Lieutenant Yuy on this matter, sir."

"Seems a short sentence for such serious cyber crimes."

"Well, according to my information, he was charged with those crimes, but only committed them in the most technical sense of the laws. The vandalism charge stemmed from changing government websites to include dancing animals; the fraud due to him impersonating celebrities; the illegal funds transfer was for transferring already stolen money into charity accounts. The espionage seems to be true, except that he didn't do anything with the information he obtained. During interviews he said he hacked into those secure servers 'just for fun' and 'to see if he could'. Whatever else he is, he is most certainly a genius. His intelligent quotient was measured at two hundred and thirteen in prison."

Treize studied the accompanying picture. The young man seemed carefree, smirking into the camera like he knew things nobody else did. Of course, with an IQ well into, possibly even beyond, the upper extreme of the scale, he probably understood lots of things nobody else really did. He was young, appearing to be only fifteen or sixteen. His hair was pulled back in what appeared to be a braid, and his eyes were a deep, unnatural violet.

"There's a classified section of this file as well, sir."

"I'm afraid to ask. Open it up."

Again, biometric data filled the screen. This data seemed to be inconclusive, though, showing modifications, but no information on what those modifications did. Except for one, very obvious, difference. The young man appeared to have gills, allowing him to breathe underwater. Treize made an educated guess that the other mutations probably gave him the ability to withstand pressures and temperatures beyond the normal human range as well. The psychological evaluation showed no remnants of brainwashing.

"He's a freaking merman." Merquise blurted out.

* * *

Duo Maxwell attempted to saunter between his guards as they exited the airlock onto the launch deck of the seaQuest. He was hampered by the shackles on his wrists and ankles, but made a good go at it anyway. He grinned widely at any sailor who looked too closely at him. It seemed to throw them off balance, which Duo enjoyed greatly. His guards were pulling him unceremoniously toward a short, stocky man with Lieutenant bars. The man glared at him as they approached. Duo grinned and winked.

"Prisoner transfer, sir!" The military police officers escorting him released him just long enough to throw hasty salutes.

The lieutenant's expression didn't change, he just held out a hand for the MPs' touchpad to sign. He signed carefully and handed it back, motioning for the guards to unlock the shackles. They did so, quickly, saluted again and then turned back to the airlock. They practically ran back to the hatch, apparently eager to be away from Duo's dubious company.

Duo ignored them. "Nice to meetcha! Duo Maxwell is the name; I may run and hide, but I'll never tell a lie! That's me in a nutshell." He rubbed at his wrists; those shackles had been tight, and continued to grin at the naval officer. "This is a nice ship ya got here. Big. Fancy. But, I'm not sticking around for the tour!" He broke away, ducking back toward the airlock. However, his timing was off and it has closed before he reached it. Cursing, he turned. He bowled over some little blonde guy and ricocheted off another man before gaining his footing on the slippery deck floor. Down two more passageways and a left turn around a corner brought him face to face with his chance to escape.

* * *

The bridge of the seaQuest was awash with barely controlled chaos. Lieutenant Commander Lucrezia Noin stood firm in the center of it all, like a lighthouse during a hurricane. Until Captain Khushrenada and Commander Merquise returned from the ward room, she was in charge. They were to shove off in less than two hours, and half the bridge officers weren't even at their stations yet. Noin took calming breaths, and then turned to Ensign Sokoloff for a status report.

"Computer diagnostics all show normal and ready for launch, sir." The ensign's accent was thick, but easy to understand. "Ensigns Chang and Winner are on C deck attempting to locate the glitch in the communications relay. Lieutenant Commander Kalani checked in a few minutes ago to report engine diagnostics normal and ready for launch. Lieutenant Yuy is on the launch deck to take custody of the parolee. Helms are manned and are a go for launch."

"And the rest of the crew?"

"Once the parolee is on board, sir, that will be the full crew. Supplies were loaded yesterday and are being stowed currently."

_"Security to the Bridge."_

Noin pulled out her Personal Audio Link, hoping that Ensigns Winner and Chang would get shipboard communications running soon. "Go ahead, Security."

_"I'm pursuing the parolee Duo Maxwell in an escape attempt. He is tagged with a tracking device. Sensor reads?"_

Noin moved across the Bridge to the Sensors station, pulling up the inboard array. A blip was moving through the corridors on C deck. The blipped paused, then entered the aquatubes. "Escapee has entered the aquatubes on C deck, heading afore to the science labs. Closing sea doors, now. He won't be able to leave the ship."

_"Understood, Bridge. Security out."_

"Captain on the bridge!" Ensign Sokoloff cried out.

Those few crew and officers on the bridge stood and saluted as Captain Khushrenada entered, followed by Commander Merquise. Noin saluted smartly with the rest, aware of the general disarray and how it would appear. She held her salute a few moments longer than the others, and stayed standing to address her superior officers. As soon as the captain took his chair, she gave him the status report, adding the escaped parolee.

"No report in from Med or Science Bays?"

"Not yet, sir."

"Get them on the PAL. I want to know if they're ready for sailing yet."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Noin brought her PAL back out, tapping in the code for the Chief Medical Officer. "Bridge to Medical."

_"Medical here."_

"Status report, Medical." Noin demanded in clipped tones. She didn't like having so many civilians on board, it made for loose discipline and confusion.

_"Stowing the last of our supplies now. We'll be ready to sail in twenty minutes."_

"Understood. Bridge out." Noin once again tapped out a code on her PAL, this time for the Chief Science Officer. Whom she liked even less than the Chief Medical Officer. At least Po had some military experience, having been on an aircraft carrier during the war. Bloom's closest military experience was teaching ROTC students at university. "Bridge to Science."

_"Hello!"_

Noin winced. "Status report, Science." If possible, her tones were even more clipped and formal.

_"We're dandy. Everything in its place and ready to go. Darwin is being a little strange, but hey, he's a dolphin."_

Treize gestured for Noin to hand him the PAL. "This is Captain Khushrenada, Science. I assume I am speaking with Dr. Bloom?"

_"That's me!"_

"What do you mean by 'a little strange'? Is it something to be concerned about?"

_"I think he's just adjusting to the-hey!"_ The PAL went to static.

* * *

Dr. Catherine Bloom dropped her PAL as two young men came rocketing out of the Darwin's pool. One of them slammed into her and they fell in a tangle of limbs. The other wasn't far behind, grabbing the first by arm and collar, yanking him upright. Recovering from her surprise, Cathy finally recognized the second man as Lieutenant Yuy, head of security. She'd seen him around a few times since reporting to the seaQuest, but never spoke to him. The first she didn't recognize, but she hardly knew all the crewmembers. She barely knew her own staff!

"You are upsetting my dolphin!" She scolded them both, regaining her feet and glaring at the men. "What are you doing swimming around in the aquatubes? They aren't designed for humans! You could have drowned! I'm told that drowning inside a submarine is very unlucky, Mr. Yuy. Not to mention stupid."

The unknown man stared at her from beneath sopping bangs. "Wow. Color me shamed." He grinned. "Can't blame a guy for trying to get off this tub, though. I wouldn't have drowned, sweetheart. Can't say the same for superman, here, but I would have been just fine." He wiggled around and lifted his shirt, showing slits in his skin. "See? I got gills. I'm an experimental. I'm Duo, by the way, and count yourself lucky to have seen these babies. I usually require dinner and dancing first."

Cathy was momentarily distracted. "Gills? Really? My god, that's amazing! How deep do they work? Do they prevent nitrogen narcosis? Can I examine you?"

Yuy cleared his throat. "He's going to the brig, Dr. Bloom. You can satisfy your scientific curiosity later."

The PAL, forgotten on the deck, crackled. _"Dr. Bloom! Dr. Bloom, report!"_ The captain's voice sounded concerned.

Cathy grabbed it up. "So sorry, Bridge! I was startled by Mr. Yuy and his, uh, prisoner." Yuy gestured at her and started hauling his prisoner away. "Uh, Mr. Yuy is taking his prisoner to the brig. I assume he'll report to you when he's done."

_"Thank you, Doctor, Bridge out."_

* * *

Ensigns Quatre Winner and Wufei Chang, along with a team of engineers, had finally determined the glitch in the communications relay. Their progress had been slowed by an apparent chase down the corridor they were in. Quatre had been bowled over twice, first by what appeared to be a long-haired felon, second by Lieutenant Yuy, who had been chasing the felon. He was slightly bruised from being slammed into the bulkhead, and considerably embarrassed from the same. Ensign Chang, despite being equally knocked about, had kept his feet and his composure.

Quatre shook himself out of his reverie. He had a communications relay to repair, or rather, to install. The relay wasn't damaged or malfunctioning, just not hooked up. Unfortunately, it wasn't secured either, which could be tricky without the proper equipment (which they didn't have) or the correct safety gear (which they also didn't have). Currently, the engineers were jerry-rigging and lift system to put the relay in the correct place so that someone could get under it to secure it to the bulkhead correctly. Once secured, they could actually hook it up, calibrate, and run diagnostics.

"We're ready, sir." One of the engineers told him, gesturing to the relay.

Quatre nodded, removing his boilersuit top and tying it around his waist, to allow for better movement. The engineers had already secured the top bolts, but he would have to get under the relay to finish the job. Thankfully, he was a small person and wouldn't have any issues sliding underneath. Chang handed him a chemical light, which he attached to his undershirt collar, and the impact wrench. As Quatre shimmied beneath the relay, he felt Chang brace himself against the relay.

"Something wrong, Chang?" He asked, curious as to why the other officer would do this.

"Just in case. If this thing comes down, I might be able to hold it long enough for you to get free."

"That would be appreciated." Quatre laughed. The relay weighed close three hundred kilos and was only a few centimeters away from his face. If it fell, he would be squashed and there wouldn't be anything Chang could really do about it. The thought was nice, though, so Quatre didn't say anything. He could feel Chang's concern and was rather touched by it. He'd only known the sensor officer for two weeks, but he seemed like a good man.

Quatre shimmied one more time and managed to bring himself into the correct position. He lifted the wrench, preparing to secure the relay so they could get moving with the installation. He froze as the metal creaked ominously. "Chang?"

"I heard it too, you lot, stop staring at the GELF and get over here. Check those bolts!" The metal creaked again.

* * *

With a horrendous shriek, the relay shook and started to come down. Wufei braced himself, and was joined by three of the engineers, to try to keep it off the communications officer. "Winner!" He shouted, trying to warn the other officer to get free. His warning was too late. Suddenly, the whole relay was lifted easily out of their hands and he found himself next to a GELF. The man-for he appeared masculine-held the relay easily.

"I can help." The GELF's voice was soft. His bright green eyes were piercing and seemed intelligent.

"Can you hold this up while we get it secured?" Wufei asked. He was impressed by the GELF's strength, but wasn't certain of its limits.

"Yes."

"Good. Winner, finish up. You, and you," he pointed to two of the engineers. "Get the top bolts properly secured this time."

"Chang," Quatre's voice was concerned. "What's going on?"

"Unexpected help. You're safe."

He heard Winner sigh, and the tell-tale signs of clanging as he finished the job. Wufei supposed he shouldn't have trusted his fellow sailor's safety to an engineered life form, but the man seemed to understand what was going on, and have a real desire to help. Wufei had never been much for the school of thought that the GELFs weren't human. They were modeled after humans, after all, and shared much of the same DNA. They acted like humans, seemed to share the same fears and joys. Their mottled skin looked different, sure, but his eyes looked different than most of the world's.

"Done! Can you pull me out?"

Wufei knelt down and grasped the comm officer's slender ankles, hauling him out from underneath the relay. Once Winner and his tools were clear he turned back to the GELF. "You can let go now, it should stay on its own."

Winner turned on his sunniest smiled, which, Wufei noted, could probably melt the hardest of hearts, and turned to the GELF. "Thank you! You probably saved my life. I would have been squashed like a bug under there." He held out his hand to shake. "I'm Ensign Quatre Raberba Winner and this is Ensign Chang Wufei. What's your name?" Several members of the engineering team snickered. Winner ignored them.

"I have no name. I am not a person or an animal, so how could I have a name? I am the Prototype, Model K GELF." The GELF just stared at the proffered hand. "Some of the others call me Nanashi or dagger."

Winner frowned. "Dagger isn't a nice word. And I'm sure they think Nanashi is clever. Do you know what it means?" The GELF shook his head. "It means 'nameless' or 'nobody' in Japanese. It's nicer than dagger, but not by much. I suppose I'll have to call you Nanashi until we can think of something better." He turned to the engineering team. "The relay is installed, gentlemen, I'm sure you have other duties to attend to?"

They all threw him hasty salutes and scuttled away. Wufei shook his head. Cowards. "Do you have anywhere you need to be, Nanashi?" He inquired kindly. He and Winner needed to get back to the Bridge and start the calibrations.

"I was told to find something useful to do, or stay out of the way. Was I useful?"

Winner smiled his megawatt smile again. "Very. Thank you, again. Why don't Ensign Chang and I escort you to the main Science lab? I'm sure Dr. Bloom can find something for you to help with."

Nanashi drew back. "I don't like labs."

"No. No, no, no. Nothing like that. Dr. Bloom studies the ocean. She has a dolphin. Have you ever met a dolphin?" Nanashi shook his head. "Well, they're very interesting creatures. Come on, I'll introduce you."

* * *

Lieutenant Heero Yuy was rarely amused by the antics of delinquents, and the current situation was no different. He wasn't amused when he was informed the seaQuest was taking part in the International Criminal Reformation Program. He wasn't amused by the prisoner's attitude, strutting around like he owned the place, despite shackles. He was even less amused, and teetering toward annoyed, when the criminal tried to escape. He went from not-amused-teetering-on-annoyed to severely annoyed as soon as the miscreant dove into the aquatubes.

Now, still annoyed and soaking wet, he was force marching the young man into the brig. As far as he was concerned, Maxwell could stay there for the entire tour. All thirteen months. In the brig. Preferably on half-rations. He passed Ensigns Chang and Winner, with the maintenance GELF, as he left the main Science lab. He nodded curtly to them as they approached and they moved to the side to allow him to pass.

"He man, lighten up, I promise not to run again."

"I know. You'll be in the brig."

"Is that really necessary? I mean, I tried, I failed. You caught me. Kudos to you. I am resigned to my fate now."

"You're fate is the brig." Heero ground out. "Until such time as I, or the captain, determine you can be trusted to wander the ship."

"Man," Maxwell whined. Heero felt his left eye twitch. "That sucks. I wanna hang out with the nice scientist lady."

"Hn."

"That's not a word."

"Hn."

"This is a violation of human rights."

"Shut up."

Maxwell wrenched his neck around and stuck his tongue out. Heero roughly pushed him back to facing forward. By this time, they had reached the brig. Heero entered the coded lock sequence to allow the force field to drop. Once down, he roughly shoved his captive into the small room and immediately reactivated the field. Turning on his heel, he marched back up the passageway, heading for the Bridge, determinedly ignoring Maxwell's cursing.

* * *

Captain Treize Khushrenada surveyed his bridge with some small amount of pride. The bumps had been smoothed over and they were nearly ready to sail. All officers were on the bridge, busy at their stations. Last status report showed all systems green, except for communications, which was still running diagnostics. All areas of the ship reported everything was stowed and ready to metaphorically weigh anchor. Considering their rather hurried itinerary, all was going quite well.

"Captain. Communications diagnostic completed, all systems green." Ensign Winner called out.

That was what he'd been waiting for. He nodded to his first officer and stood up. "Excellent, Mr. Winner. If you could open up all ship board channels? I would like to address the whole crew."

"Aye, aye Captain." Winner tapped a few buttons on his console. "Channels open, sir."

"Crew of the seaQuest, this is Captain Treize Khushrenada speaking. I would like to personally thank all of you for your hard work in the past two weeks preparing our ship to leave port. I know that it has been tough, and there were a lot of setbacks, but as of a few moments ago, all systems read green. Congratulations." He waited patiently for the applause to die down. "Unfortunately, the hardest work is yet to come. Earlier today, a fleet of rogue submarines was reported off the coast of Australia. They have been observed committing acts of piracy. Our first mission is to track down these pirates and subdue them. Now that all systems diagnostics show green, we will be shoving off immediately. Anchors aweigh." He nodded to Winner to shut off the communication.

"Plot a course to the Tasman Sea, full speed ahead."

* * *

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Full Speed Ahead

The bridge was humming with activity. There wasn't much too actively be doing, but everyone seemed to think it was very important to bustle around when the captain was on the bridge. Wufei supposed it was part of being in the navy or possibly just because it was only a few hours after leaving port at Pearl Harbor. He wasn't the type to fuss, so just sat calmly at his station reviewing his systems. While they had run diagnostics before they set out, the scan could only catch so much. The AI just glimpsed over the systems, making a quick pass and checking for any obvious errors. A thorough, manual check wouldn't be amiss. So here he sat, one screen full of detailed system analysis, the other showing data streaming in from his WSKRS.

"What exactly are W-S-K-R-S-es anyway?" Ensign Winner leaned backwards in his own chair; curiously looking over his should at Wufei's screens.

Wufei smirked slightly. "We say 'whiskers,' which gives a far better description of what they are than any technical explanation."

Winner's face lit up. "Oh! Like a cat's whiskers?"

"Exactly." Wufei pulled up a more detailed view of the data coming in from WSKRS1, whom he had nicknamed Nemo (WSKRS2 and WSKRS3 were Castor and Pollux). "See," he pointed to the stream of data coming in, "this tells me water temperature, salinity, pressure, chemical analysis, and a slew of additional data. They are also fitted with cameras, microphones, and-as you know-radio transmitters."

"Wow. And I'm just sitting over here chatting with Fiji."

Wufei just lifted an eyebrow in response.

Winner hastily corrected the misinterpretation. "It's how I do a manual systems check for communications at sea. Well, one of them. You basically just use every type of communication your ship can send and receive. I already finished confirming ship-wide and secure channels, now I'm checking the broader range."

"So you chat with Fiji."

"They're more interesting than Hawaii."

They both went back to their work, sitting back-to-back in companionable silence. Wufei reflected on the tentative friendship he had formed with the communications officer. Winner was easy to get along with in many ways. He didn't seem to be overly concerned that Wufei was from a very reluctant signatory of the UEO charter or that he had no actual naval experience. Despite the fact that Wufei had actually lived in an undersea colony his whole life, many of the people he had met felt that he was a 'landlubber' and had no business being in a submarine. Winner also seemed completely at ease with Wufei's occasionally odd habits that stemmed from a traditional Chinese upbringing, and even casually spoke to him in Mandarin. The only other person on the vessel that seemed at ease with his heritage was Doctor Sally Po, who shared a similar heritage-though she was a few generations removed from China.

Winner was still a bit of an enigma. Wufei knew he was one of those Winners, of the Winner Enterprises Coalition, though where he stood in that huge family Wufei couldn't even guess. For all he knew, the blonde man was no more than a third cousin by marriage. Still, it was interesting that someone with connections to the largest independent undersea coalition in the world would be on the UEO's flagship. Perhaps, when he was more familiar with the man, he could just ask. Until then, he could only speculate.

Wufei continued to let his thoughts wander, keeping an eye on his sensor feeds and analysis.

* * *

Down in the depths of engineering, the Prototype Model K GELF known sometimes as Nanashi crouched in a corner and simply watched the activity. He liked being deep in the bowels of the ship. The twin fusion reactors hummed, causing the deck and bulkheads to vibrate ever-so-slightly. Nanashi wasn't sure if the others, the normal humans, could feel the vibrations. The engineering crews didn't seem to mind him being here, as long as he stayed out of the way and helped when asked. The chief engineer, a man named Howard Kalani, was even kind to Nanashi, explaining how the reactors powered the ship in simple terms.

Some of Howard's team had laughed at explaining such things to a GELF, but they stopped quickly once the lieutenant commander told him to mind their own business. Nanashi appreciated the explanations. He had been told many times by the scientists who made him that he was stupid and a mistake, but he often felt he could learn all sorts of things like the humans did, if just someone would teach him. He had learned to read, after all, and write, when Trowa Barton had taught him. Nanashi had been more thankful for those few years in the UEO 'home' than he could ever express.

The only thing he didn't like about engineering was the lack of aquatubes. He hadn't known what the tubes running through the ship were for, until Ensign Quatre Raberba Winner had introduced him to Doctor Catherine Bloom. She had shown him the tubes, and introduced him to their occupant, Darwin the dolphin.

On impulse, Nanashi stood from his crouch and silently left the engine room. No one remarked on his leaving. They were busy with their own duties and could not be concerned by his wanderings. He was heading to the main science laboratory, where Doctor Catherine Bloom supervised the other scientists. Nanashi never thought he'd willingly return to a laboratory, but the scientists hadn't asked anything of him, except that he not touch the sensitive equipment. Still, he entered the large room shyly, looking around for the redhead.

"Nanashi!" Doctor Catherine Bloom smiled brightly when she noticed him standing off to the side of the hatch. "Come on in, don't be shy. Did you want to say hello to Darwin?"

"Yes, Doctor Catherine Bloom."

She grinned at him. "You can just call me Cathy, sweetie. No need for all the formality."

Cathy. He would remember that. No one had ever told him to call them by a nickname before. "Is Darwin doing well?" He asked.

"Very much so, though I'm afraid he's been a bit bored. Why don't you swim with him?" Cathy gestured a rack of wetsuits. "I'm sure he'd enjoy your company."

"Am I allowed?" Nanashi was hesitant. He'd gotten in trouble for doing things without permission before. Sometimes, people didn't want him to do something just because he was a GELF. He didn't know if swimming with Darwin would be something a GELF could do.

"Of course! I'm the senior science officer, Nanashi. That means I'm in charge of Darwin's well-being. If I say he needs some company, then that is that. I'd swim myself, but I've got to finish setting up some of his monitoring systems."

"But I'm not human."

"Neither is Darwin." Cathy gestured again to the rack of wetsuits. "Go ahead, sweetie. Grab a suit and change in the locker room over there."

Nanashi turned to the rack and selected one of the short suits that looked about his size. He shyly entered the men's locker room. It was empty, so he quickly changed before anyone came in. The suit fit fine, so he went back out to the pool where Darwin was swimming back and forth. The dolphin seemed impatient, like he knew what Nanashi was intending to do and was annoyed at the GELF for taking so much time. Nanashi wondered, not for the first time, if Darwin knew he was different from the others. Did the dolphin know that Nanashi's mottled skin identified him as a life form that had been grown, rather than born? Did Darwin know that Nanashi was considered less than human? Less than a dolphin even?

He slid silently into the pool, and was overjoyed when Darwin swam right up to him, nudging against his side. Nanashi took a deep breath and dove under, swimming alongside Darwin. He could easily hold his breath for quite a long time, far longer than any human. After about ten minutes, though, it became uncomfortable. Since there wasn't any real need for him to stay under, he surfaced and took another breath. He and Darwin swam together for what seemed like hours. Nanashi thought he had never enjoyed himself so much before. When he surfaced again, he saw Cathy is a wetsuit sitting on the edge of the pool.

"You guys look like two peas in a pod. You were holding your breath for a really long time, Nanashi. Are you okay?" Cathy joined him in the water and swam smoothly to him.

Nanashi nodded shyly. He didn't like it when the humans noticed the differences. It was always best that they only saw the surface, not everything. But, another part of him said, Cathy had been nothing but kind and seemed honestly concerned. "I can hold my breath longer, if I need to. I don't need as much oxygen as a human."

"Oh! Of course, that makes sense. Are you having fun?" She rubbed Darwin's melon, and smiled at Nanashi.

"Yes." Nanashi took a deep, calming breath and asked the question that had been gnawing at him since he'd met the nice doctor. "Will you teach me about Darwin? And the ocean? I want to learn."

The redhead looked surprised. "You do?" Nanashi nodded shyly. "Well, of course I will!" She regarded him curiously for a moment. "Do you know how to read and write?"

Nanashi nodded proudly. "Doctor S said I was too stupid, but my friend taught me."

"Excellent." She grinned again. "So, Darwin is what we call an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin and he eats a wide variety of fish, eels, squid and shrimp…"

* * *

Quatre yawned widely as he left the bridge at twenty hundred ship time. It wasn't exactly late, but had been a long day. He was looking forward to a hot meal in the mess and his bunk. He could only hope his roommate, Ensign Lucas Moreno from engineering, had had an equally long day and would be turning in early as well, or at least staying quiet. Quatre took the stairs two at a time, trotting quickly on B deck down to the mess. He didn't even notice Chang and Yuy had followed him until he reached his destination.

The three officers stood in line to receive their food; lasagna with garlic bread and salad. Quatre examined his minutely as he sat down. It looked edible. It smelled okay. He took a small bite and was pleased to find it actually pretty tasty. He began eating with gusto and glanced up at his fellow officers, who had joined him at his table. The blonde nearly laughed aloud at the look on Chang's face.

"It's pasta, layered with meat, cheese, and sauce," he explained. "Have you never had lasagna before?"

Chang blinked a few times and took a nibble from his bread. "I have not."

"Mind if I sit with you, gentlemen? The place is filling up fast." Dr. Po plopped her tray down and took the seat between Yuy and Chang without waiting for an answer. She dug into her own food with as much zeal as Quatre had. "Oh, and all three of you still need to report to Medical for your physicals. Don't try to get out of them, they are mandatory." She waved her fork in the air. "And, Yuy, I need access to your prisoner to do his physical."

"Hn."

"You are aware you're supposed to chew, right Lieutenant?" Quatre watched Yuy wolf down his food with some concern. The security officer just leveled a glare at him and continued to eat at an alarming pace. Quatre shrugged and turned to Dr. Po. "Could I come by tomorrow morning, say around zero-seven hundred?"

The doctor nodded. "Chang?"

The Chinese man was examining a forkful of lasagna, apparently silently debating its merits. He ignored the doctor completely. "What type of meat is this?"

"Beef," Quatre answered. He was amused by Chang's intense interest in their food. He'd done the same thing when presented with fried chicken and mashed potatoes a few days after arriving at the port. Most of the time, while at dock, he had left the ship to get his own meals. Quatre had gone with him once, and found himself surprised that Chang actually frequented both Chinese and Japanese restaurants in Honolulu. He had explained that his colony was actually closer to Okinawa than mainland China, so more trade came in from Japan, thus more foodstuffs.

Chang carefully sampled the lasagna. He made a sour face and sighed rather dramatically. "Don't you Westerners eat anything that isn't swimming in grease? You should eat more like the Chinese, you'd be healthier."

"What, like shark fin soup or sea cucumber?" Dr. Po snapped at him. "The Chinese fishing practices are horrendous! They are almost solely responsible for the endangerment of so many protected ocean species that it's nothing short of appalling."

Quatre nearly groaned aloud as he exchanged looks with Yuy. Nearly every time the medical doctor and sensors officer were in the same room they had some sort of heated debate. So far they'd angrily discussed humanitarian practices, clear-cutting of forests, preservation of archeological sites, and the concepts of honor and justice. Quatre was mentally adding destructive fishing practices and the preservation of ocean species to his list as Chang began to glare down his nose at Dr. Po.

Yuy just shook his head, stood up and took his tray back to those on dishwashing duty this evening. Quatre followed. Chang and Dr. Po weren't really fighting, after all. Quatre felt certain Chang often took an opposite side to Dr. Po in their discussions so as to incite the debate in the first place. Like right now, when he was describing the taste (or lack thereof) of shark fin soup. Quatre had no doubt Chang had eaten it during one point in his life, but he doubted the experience was enjoyed. He imagined Chang's experience with some of China's more illegal foods was much like Quatre eating deep-fried lamb brain on a trip to visit family in Saudi Arabia. It was not something he wanted to do then, or ever again.

The two officers parted ways at the mid-ship stairwell, Yuy going up and Quatre continuing down the corridor. His quarters were blessedly quiet, his roommate not back yet. Quatre took a quick ion shower then lay down to sleep. Tomorrow would be a hectic day, seeing as how they were expected to catch up with the pirates sometime around fourteen hundred. Going to bed early seemed like a really good idea.

* * *

At zero six hundred, Heero finished his morning run in the officers' gym and went back to his quarters to shower and change into his uniform. He wouldn't be on duty until zero eight hundred, but saw no reason to laze about in bed. He was in the mess by zero six one five and sitting down with a breakfast of bran cereal and orange juice. He propped a touchpad in front of him and examined the late watch's reports. At precisely zero six four five he finished his own breakfast and collected a similar one to take down to the prisoner.

It took some time to get down to the brig; it was down in the bilge, though on a ship like the seaQuest, it was hardly the foul-smelling, wet, dark place of old. Like the rest of the ship, the corridors were well-lit and pristine. Heero supposed it was at least partly due to the attentions of the service GELF. He had been contemplating on-and-off about adding the GELF to his security team. The life forms were made for fighting, after all, and should be asset. However, he wasn't sure if the captain would approve of a non-human on the security team. He wasn't even sure if the captain approved of a modified human being in charge of security. It was a touchy situation, and one that Heero didn't want to stir up until after the mission.

The prisoner was stretched out on the bunk, legs splayed and arms pillowing his head. He looked completely at ease. He smirked at Heero approached the force field that served as the outer wall for the cell.

"Well, hello there, Mister. Is that food? Slide it in, my friend." Maxwell sat up, crossing his legs and tipping his head to regard the lieutenant at an angle. Heero opened a hole in the force field and set the tray on the floor before stepping back and turning to leave.

"Your brig could use an overhaul you know; you can access the force field control panel from inside the cell and open the freaking door."

Heero was slightly startled by this revelation. He turned back to look at Maxwell, who gestured to the inside wall of the cell. Heero moved to an angle where he could see the point where force field and wall met, sure enough, the wall panel had been pried open and the wiring exposed. He glanced back at Maxwell, who just grinned. "You're still here."

"Well, yeah, I got as far as a computer access panel and discovered we were two thousand meters deep. I honestly don't know if my gills would even work under this kind of pressure. It seemed sensible just to come back here." Maxwell stood up from his bunk and approached the force field, standing only a few inches from the crackling energy. "I found something else too, while I was playing around. You're mainframe has a virus, and a nasty one. Diagnostics triggered it at Pearl. It's buried deep, but moving fast. You'll start seeing system malfunctions in about seven hours."

Heero frowned. "If this is some sort of ploy…"

Maxwell held up his hands in the world-wide gesture for surrender. "No ploy, man. I told you, I may run and hide, but I don't lie. When I say 'system malfunctions,' I don't mean the lights are going to flicker, either. I mean navigation, weapons, helm, life-support, communications, the whole shebang. If you let this virus take root anymore, you'll be dead-in-the-water just about the same time you catch up to those pirates."

"How do you know about the pirates," Heero demanded.

"I might have accessed some UEO communications, too."

Heero considered his options. He wasn't sure he believed the criminal, but he also couldn't see any motivation for Maxwell to lie in this instance. If he didn't act on this information, even if it was a trick, he could be putting the entire ship and her crew in peril. There were still a few things that didn't add up though. "We do have a computer analyst, you know. Ensign Alisa Sokoloff is very good. She would have noticed a virus."

Maxwell shook his head. "She may be good, but I'm better."

"Then how were you caught?" Heero asked, allowing some scorn into his voice.

The hacker wasn't insulted though, he just shrugged. "I wasn't trying to hide my tracks, just cause chaos and disorder. I was fucking pissed, and I wanted to tell the world to fuck off in the loudest, most obnoxious way possible. Look, I don't know why your computer analyst didn't see the virus. For all I know, maybe she was the one that planted it! The point is, man, in the spirit of self-preservation, I'm offering you my help. Give me proper access and I can wipe the virus before it kills us." He started to dig into his breakfast, devouring the food like he was starving.

Heero tapped his communicator. "Security to Commander Merquise."

_"Go ahead, Lieutenant."_

"The prisoner, Duo Maxwell, is claiming to have discovered a virus infecting our computer systems while he was temporarily out of his cell."

_"Temporarily out of his cell, Lieutenant? With access to the ship's systems?" _Merquise's voice sounded somewhere between amused and concerned.

"He has also discovered a design flaw in the brig, sir. He accessed a computer terminal in engineering to determine his avenues of escape. When none were forthcoming, he started digging around."

_"And found a virus that our expert computer analyst missed."_

"I cannot think of any motivation for him to lie about this, sir." Heero paused. "If what he is saying is true, though, he has excellent motivation to tell us, as it is threatening his life."

_"Bring him to the ward room. I want to speak with him myself."_

"Aye, aye sir."

Maxwell snorted. "Aye, aye sir? You guys actually say that shit? Avast me hearties, yo-ho!" He giggled to himself. Reaching over to the bare wiring, he twisted and pulled at something Heero couldn't see. The force field dropped and Maxwell stepped out, still giggling.

They climbed the stairs silently, except for a few random snickers, up to A deck where the ward room was, just outside the bridge. Commander Merquise was waiting inside, along with Ensign Sokoloff. Heero saluted smartly upon entering. Maxwell followed suit rather cheekily. The commander gestured for Maxwell to sit and for Heero to take up station in front of the hatch. The lieutenant silently hoped Maxwell would be able to convince Merquise that he was in earnest. The more Heero considered Maxwell's words and actions, the more he was certain the long-haired delinquent was telling the truth.

* * *

Duo lounged in the chair across from Commander Merquise and a woman he assumed was the officer in charge of the computer systems. He looked the commander directly in the eye, not flinching away, as he explained how he got out of his cell in the brig, how he found the virus, and what that virus was going to do to the seaQuest in T-minus seven hours. Merquise's expression never changed, but from the corner of his eye, Duo saw the woman start to pale.

Huh. Either she was afraid of the virus, which was sensible, or she was afraid of something else. Duo had taken a quick tour around the personnel files while he was up to his elbows in the mainframe, so he knew the nasty little bug wasn't beyond her capabilities. He hadn't lied when he told Yuy that he didn't know why the computer analyst hadn't seen what was obvious to him. He honestly didn't know. Maybe she had planted the thing, or maybe her abilities were less than stated on her resume. Either one was possible.

"Assuming I believe you," Merquise stated once Duo was finished with his explanation. "How did it get there?"

"Someone put it there. Duh." Duo rolled his eyes. This guy wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. Probably got this far thanks to his charm and good-looks.

"Unlikely, sir. The UEO has the best security on the planet. If it is there, which I doubt, it's probably organic. Errant code that became a virus. It happens in Artificial Intelligence systems." The woman had a thick Russian accent. She spoke with a great deal of confidence, but seemed to be distracted by something. She glared slightly at Duo. "This miscreant is just trying to cause disorder and panic."

"This miscreant is trying to save his own ass, sister. Shinigami can tell the difference between an organic AI virus and one that's planted, you know. I'm not some two-bit hacker sitting in his mother's basement wishing it was the good ole days of phone phreaking." Duo sneered at her. She had started at his hacker tag. Duo considered this a good thing; now she knew who she was dealing with here. He gestured back at the silent lieutenant at the door. "He believes me."

"Yuy?" Merquise lifted an eyebrow toward the head of security, inviting him to speak.

"Maxwell's reasoning and motivations are sound, sir. His abilities aren't in question, just his honesty. If there is a virus there, sir, surely Ensign Sokoloff could find it. It certainly wouldn't hurt to look."

Merquise sighed. "In that, I must agree. My apologies for keeping you from your regular duties, Ensign. Please take an in-depth look at the mainframe to determine the existence of this virus, as well as to ascertain whether or not it was planted or organic. Mr. Yuy, please keep Maxwell here for the time being. I want him close. I'll call one of the other security members to stand duty on the bridge." Both he and Ensign Sokoloff left the ward room, leaving Duo alone with the lieutenant.

"So," he said, grasping at something to fill the silence. "Your name is Yuy?"

* * *

Quatre rubbed his chest for the umpteenth time, trying to quell the feeling he was getting. It wasn't physical, but definitely there. Quatre knew it was from his Empathy. Likely, someone was homesick or angry and they were projecting enough to bleed through even his formidable shields. From experience, Quatre knew he only had two options: ignore it or deal with whoever was causing it. He was reluctant to chase down some crew member he barely knew and confront them about their innermost thoughts and feelings, so he was going to ignore it.

Unfortunately, since arriving on the bridge four hours ago, it was getting worse. He was starting to pick out distinct feelings now; anger, fear, panic, and, beneath it all, resolve. The only thing he couldn't figure out was who. Who was feeling these things? It wasn't Chang. The Chinese man was physically close enough at his own station that his emotions were a quiet undercurrent to the other's torrent. Thank Allah Chang was calm and collected. His steadiness, barely discernible but still there, was a balm in the storm that was quickly becoming a hurricane.

"Are you alright?" Chang asked. "You look very pale, Winner. Did that doctor woman poke and prod you to illness?"

Quatre smiled wanly. "No, no, I'm fine. Really, just, uh…" He trailed off, eyes glazing over as resolve in the other spiked into frenzied desperation. He closed his eyes, anchoring himself in Chang's concern, and let himself be drawn in to the other. He opened his eyes a few moments later to find himself staring at a very pale Ensign Sokoloff.

"Winner!" Chang hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," Quatre mumbled. "I needed an anchor. Something is very, very wrong. Ensign Sokoloff is involved somehow, but I don't know anything for certain."

"Sir," Sokoloff's voice carried across the bridge. She was addressing the commander, who turned to her and nodded. "I did find a virus, sir. It was organic, not planted. It also wouldn't have threatened any systems except some of the science bay's monitoring programs. Nothing like the threat Mr. Maxwell was spouting off about." She stood from her station. "Permission to leave the bridge, sir? There is the matter of an error in the security systems, likely due to Mr. Maxwell's tampering in the brig. Nothing serious, but I would like to get it sorted before we confront the pirates, sir."

"Of course, thank you Ensign."

Quatre just stared at the Russian woman as she left the bridge. "Sir! Commander! She's lying!"

Suddenly, Chang started swearing profusely in his own Chinese dialect. Quatre was unfamiliar with the words, but could understand the gist. Chang started to shout something else, still in an unintelligible dialect, then shook his head and swore again, this time in English. "Damn it! Sir, I just lost all data feeds from the WSKRS and the bow sensor array. We're running blind!"

The commander leapt to his feet. "Full stop!" He slammed a few buttons on his own console. "Captain to the bridge," he shouted into his communicator. "Security, apprehend Ensign Sokoloff and detain her immediately. Yuy, get that hacker onto the bridge now."

Quatre turned back to his own console. He didn't see what was happening on the rest of the bridge, being too focused on his own systems. Communications were going haywire. All satellite uplinks were down, as were traditional radio links, both short- and longwave. Not only were they running blind, but they were completely cut off from the rest of the world.

"Helm is not responding!" One of the helmsmen shouted in the chaos. "I can't slow us down or change our heading!"

"All communications are down," Quatre reported during a lull. "We're cut off."

"Navigation is down, sir, weapons too!"

Commander Merquise gestured to the long-haired man standing next to Darwin's pool. "Maxwell, can you fix this?"

Maxwell stared at him incredulously. "A few hours ago, yeah, but now? I don't have the faintest idea. It depends on how quickly the virus has spread. If it's fully rooted it could take days to untangle all the scrambled coding."

"We don't have days." Captain Khushrenada was calm as he stepped onto the bridge. "The pirate submarines were spotted less than six hundred miles from here, on a course that would take them to one of Australia's largest underwater nuclear fission reactors. We have to intercept them before they reach that reactor. I need my systems, Mr. Maxwell." The captain gestured to Sokoloff's station. "Please, do what you can. From what I know of your character, you are no more interested in the global disaster a meltdown would cause than we are."

Maxwell swallowed nervously, sat down at the officer's station and began to type.

* * *

Nanashi was mopping the deck in the port side launch bay when Ensign Sokoloff rushed into the room. She immediately turned and pulled the hatch shut, spinning the hand wheel to lock it behind her. Only then did she turn back to the airlocks and notice Nanashi with his mop. Her lip curled in a sneer.

"Keep cleaning, dagger, this is none of your business." She brushed past him and began to push buttons on the launch console.

Nanashi watched her for a moment and then turned back to the hatch. He spotted Lieutenant Heero Yuy outside. As soon as Yuy saw him, he began to gesture for Nanashi to undo the lock. The GELF moved toward the hatch.

"Don't move, dagger!" Sokoloff snapped suddenly. She pointed a gun at his head. "Step away from that hatch. Over there, towards the airlock."

Nanashi didn't move. He didn't particularly like guns. He looked back at Lieutenant Heero Yuy, who was mouthing 'stop her' and gesturing wildly as what appeared to be a team of security personnel started cutting through the lock. Nanashi looked back at Sokoloff. She appeared to be waiting for the airlock to open, probably trying to leave the ship. He made a decision, moving forward with a speed only possible due to genetic engineering. He grabbed Sokoloff's gun, reversed the grip, and hit her. She dropped immediately.

Calmly, Nanashi walked back over to the hatch and spun the handwheel to unlock it. Lieutenant Heero Yuy jumped out of the way as his men and women rushed the room, shutting down the launch sequence and restraining the unconscious Sokoloff. Nanashi smiled shyly at the officer. Surprisingly, the officer smiled back.

* * *

_To Be Continued…_


End file.
